


Meant To Be

by mysticmajestic



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Asexual Shiro, Day At The Beach, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, Light Angst, Little Spoon Shiro, Love Confessions, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pining Shiro (Voltron), Wingman Keith, beach date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 06:27:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15237411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysticmajestic/pseuds/mysticmajestic
Summary: Shiro's pining for Lance, only Lance appears to be in a relationship with Hunk. This is...a problem.





	Meant To Be

**Author's Note:**

  * For [after_midnightmunchies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/after_midnightmunchies/gifts).



> Cheers to me for writing three-quarters of this fic the day before the deadline because I got caught in other writing projects. I have shit time management.
> 
> I estimated this fic would be maybe three thousand, four-thousand words. Now look at it. It's become a beast!

_Show me a smile then_  
Don't be unhappy  
Can't remember when  
I last saw you laughing  
This world makes you crazy  
And you've taken all you can bear  
Just, call me up  
'Cause I will always be there  
And I see your true colours  
Shining through,  
I see you true colours,  
And that’s why I love you.

_(True Colours – Cyndi Lauper .)_

-

Shiro didn’t want to be upset about it. He didn’t want to be _that_ kind of guy. Shit happens, that was how the cookie crumbled, couldn’t have your cake and eat it too. You know, all that other bullshit people said to console themselves when they didn’t get what they want because it was better to sound wise than look like an overgrown two-year-old throwing a tantrum.

See, Shiro really loved Lance. Like, a lot. It’s almost embarrassing. Once he’d gotten to know Lance as a person and gotten over the initial irritation that came about at one of Lance’s quips or flirtations, he fell so hard. Lance was exactly the kind of guy Shiro went for; cute, funny, tall dark and handsome (though Shiro was just slightly taller).

He would have asked Lance out on the spot had it not become apparent that he was dating Hunk.

And that was fine! They made a cute couple! It’s just…Shiro had been hoping to be a cute couple with Lance instead. He wanted to have inside jokes with Lance, be physically affectionate, and give him pet names. When Lance was bored or tired, Shiro wanted Lance to drape himself over _him_ instead of Hunk. Or come to him when he had problems outside of Voltron.

He wanted to make Lance smile and laugh like Hunk could.

But it just…wasn’t meant to be.

When Shiro saw them together, he tried _really hard_ not to mind. Bit his tongue, looked away—bit his tongue hard enough to bleed when Lance called Hunk either “Hunky-bear” or “babe.” Or straight up walked out of the room when it got unbearable. No one made any comment on it, so he was certain no one had noticed his behaviour. Thank _god_.

He would just have to bury his feelings for Lance deep, deep down inside and hope they went away. If he couldn’t have Lance, then that was that. No use crying over it. There was no way he could let this negatively affect Voltron. His feelings were not worth putting the entire universe in jeopardy.

Starting tomorrow, he would get over his feelings for Lance once and for all.

 

* * *

 

Nothing ever went according to plan. The universe just could not give Shiro a _break_.

Sitting quietly at the table eating his breakfast, Shiro had no idea that his willpower was about to be tested so early in the Castle-assigned morning period.

“Hunky-bear!” Lance whined, dragging his feet into the kitchen. Still clad in his pyjamas, Lance was sleep-ruffled and bleary-eyed. _Cute_ , Shiro thought in awe, only for his mood to darken when he processed what Lance had just said. “What do we have to eat? ‘M hungry.”

He leapt onto Hunk’s back, clinging like a polar bear. To his credit, Hunk didn’t seem to even notice, continuing to roll out a dough-like substance across the counter. He quickly reached back to ruffle Lance’s hair, making Lance smile that cute sideways ‘3’ smile, as if he were a pleased cat. The one that Shiro had always wanted to put there.

“Well, Lance, I’m making…”

Shiro didn’t stick around to hear what Hunk replied with; he made the ill-advised decision to eat half his bowl of food goo in one bite, then abandoned his chair and stalked out of the room as he figured out a way to swallow it down without choking on it. Beating up a training gladiator sounded really good right now.

The poor gladiator didn’t even know what hit it when Shiro started up level five and proceeded to try and smash it into metal fragments. He was quick to knock its quarterstaff from its hand, kicking it across the room, then ducking under a punch to his head.

It advanced on him, fists jabbing out in what would have been brutal punches if they landed. But only one person in this training room was getting pummelled into the ground, and Shiro would not let it be him. He continued blocking until he found an opening, ducking into a perfect leg-sweep, and then leaping on top of the bot and pinning its arms to its side with his legs.

 _I!_ He punctuated each word with a punch to the training bot’s face _. Am! Not! In! Love! With! Lance! Let! It! Go! You! Stupid! Buffoon!_

“If that bot could speak, it’d be begging for mercy right about now.” Having not heard the door open, Shiro was shocked to hear Keith’s voice. Keith stood at the door, bayard held loosely in his hand, staring at Shiro with almost fearful awe. “What’s got you so worked up?”

“End training sequence,” snapped Shiro, standing. The gladiator powered down at once, the floor opening to suck it away. “Nothing,” he said to Keith, refusing to look at him. “I’m fine.”

“Really?” asked Keith, sceptical. He gestured between Shiro and the spot the Gladiator had been with a with sharp motions of his index finger. “Because that didn’t look ‘fine’ to me.”

Shiro grimaced. “Okay, maybe I went a little hard on it.” Irritation coiled in Shiro’s stomach as Keith rolled his eyes with a scoff. When it came to “going all out”, Keith had no leg to stand on and his high horse had all but abandoned him. “But I was training. You think I should take it easy on the Galra? No. Whenever we fight, we have to kill.”

“That gladiator isn’t the Galra, Shiro. You’ve told me before to take it easy, so now it’s time to take your own advice.”

That was true, but Shiro certainly didn’t want to admit it. “So, what? Do _you_ want to spar with me? I have to give the gladiator a _break_ , and all.”

“I’m not sparring with you when you’re in this pissy attitude.” Keith folded his arms over his chest, stubborn. “Either tell me what’s wrong or go take a walk.”

“Nothing, I just—God, it’s so _stupid_.” Shiro smacked himself on the forehead. This was really eating at him. “Just—don’t worry about it. I’ll figure it out by myself.”

“But why? Why is it stupid?” Keith stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Shiro’s shoulder. “Aren’t we friends?”

Bewildered, Shiro jerked his head up to meet Keith’s open, earnest gaze. “Of course we are. What kind of question is that?”

Keith’s lips twitched in a gentle smile. “Well, friends talk to each other when something’s wrong. And something is definitely wrong here. So, talk to me, open up.”

It was unusual being on _this_ side of the encouragement talk. How could Shiro have let himself fall so deep in his own emotions like this? This was unacceptable.

“Nuh-uh,” said Keith, even going as far as to waggle a finger at Shiro, “don’t do that.”

Shiro was genuinely confused. “Don’t do what?”

“Shut yourself down,” said Keith. “I know you. I know your tics. You’re trying to convince yourself that your own emotions are not that important, that you shouldn’t be ‘inconveniencing’ anyone—which is ridiculous because you’ve never—and will never—inconvenience anyone. Especially not me.”

For almost an exact minute, Shiro was speechless, gaping stupidly at Keith, who looked rather proud of himself for that speech.

“When did you get so good at reading people?” Shiro mumbled.

Keith snorted. “Don’t worry, I’m still shit at picking up social cues from others and reading their emotions. I’ve just known you a long time.”

Didn’t make Shiro any less impressed.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ll tell you.”

 

* * *

 

“Please tell me you’re joking,” said Keith, deadpan, when Shiro finished talking. “Out of all the people _in the universe_ you could have a crush on, you chose _Lance_?”

Shiro tucked his chin against his chest, feeling the heat creep up his chest. “You don’t choose to have crushes on people, Keith. They just happen.”

“But _Lance_?!”

“Hey, he’s not so bad.”

“Are you sure the Galra didn’t mess with your head or something?” Keith knocked his fist lightly against Shiro’s skull playfully, smirking. “It would explain a lot.”

Clicking his tongue, Shiro swatted Keith’s arm away. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you. I knew you’d make fun of me.”

“And here I was about to offer my help,” said Keith, and Shiro whipped up to meet his eyes. Underneath the teasing words, it was plain to see he was dead serious. “But if you don’t want it…”

He stood up and went to walk away. Heart beating in his throat, Shiro lunged and tackled him around the legs, bringing him to the floor with a yelp.

“Shiro! Get off!”

“No, Keith, you gotta help me! Please! I am a desperate and dying man!”

“Now I know what you see in Lance; you’re both so fucking dramatic. Fine!” Keith managed to wriggle his way out of Shiro’s grip, all puffed up like a stressed cat. “I’ll help you. Whaddayah even want me to do anyway?”

“See if he’s actually in a relationship with Hunk—just ask how long they’ve been together or something.”

“And when he asks why I’m asking, do I say that our fearless leader has a crush him like a middle-schooler? All blushy and pining. If we had flowers, you’d be picking petals off saying,” he pitched his voice higher, a mocking falsetto, “‘he loves me, he loves me not.’”

“There are times when I really could kill you, Keith. If you weren’t doing me a favour right now, I would seriously smash your skull into the floor.”

Keith snorted, rolling his eyes. “As if you _could_.”

“Do what I ask, then come back here. I’ll show you.”

“Fine,” said Keith airily. “I hope you’re ready to get your ass kicked.”

 

* * *

 

Shiro didn’t know when he’d developed a crush on Lance. It seemed to have crept up on him all at once without him even noticing. One day he just looked at Lance, at the way he grinned, the careless way that he draped himself over Shiro and teased him lightly, and thought, _What wouldn’t I give for him to be this way around me all the time?_

The boisterous personality that had once annoyed him now endeared him. He wanted to tell a joke and hear that loud laughter that was just for him and watch the way that Lance’s body moved with the force of it as if he’d heard nothing funnier.

He wanted to learn everything about Lance. From his family, previous relationships, his childhood, and all his achievements, all his failures. Everything that made Lance _Lance_. Learning everything about Lance was a privilege he hoped he would be allowed.

If Lance really was in a relationship with Hunk, he would learn to be happy for them both and let go of his feelings. But until that was confirmed, he would hold onto hope, would pray that their relationship wasn’t true. Pray that Lance would even look twice at him romantically, what with all the scars, the cyborg arm, and all the baggage he would inevitably bring to the table.

He hoped Lance would love him for all that, just like Shiro loved him, flaws and all.

 

* * *

 

Lance wasn’t in the kitchen or Blue’s hangar; the two places Keith would’ve assumed he’d be in at this hour. He never went to his room unless it was the ship’s designated night hours, putting one of those weird face creams on that Keith, to this day, still didn’t know where he got it from.

Only, when he passed Lance’s door, he heard yelling inside. Pidge and Lance, to be exact. Confused, Keith knocked on the door.

“Wait a second!” Lance yelled. There was a lot of thumping going on in there, worrying Keith. What if it wasn’t Hunk and Lance in a relationship, but Lance and Pidge? From the sounds coming from that bedroom, Shiro was probably going to get his heart broken. “Ah! Pidge, let go!”

“Die, die, die!” screamed Pidge.

…was she trying to kill him in there? “What’s going on?”

Three loud bangs later and a very disheveled Lance—fully-clothed, thank god—answered the door. The makeshift television was playing the ‘YOU HAVE DIED’ screen from one of the video games they’d picked up at the Space Mall. Pidge sat on the floor with a remote in hand, peering curiously over her shoulder at them.

“Keith!” said Lance. “What’s up? Come to join us?”

“What were you two doing in there? It sounded weird.”

“Playing Killbot Phantasm,” said Lance, as if it should be obvious. “We were close to beating the final boss, but he wiped us out at the last minute because we ran out of potions to heal our stamina. It’s taken days for us to get his health bar down almost enough to kill him.”

“Wanna play?” asked Pidge. “You might be a better partner than Lance.”

“Hey! Watch it!”

“No, you watch it! I told you not to attack with the mystical firepower, and what did you do? _Attacked with the mystical firepower!_ ”

“That’s what got his health bar that far down in the first place.”

“But when we really needed it, it was still recharging!”

“Actually, Lance, I came here because I needed to talk to you.” If Keith had to listen to any more of their bickering, he’d tear his hair out. What the heck was mystical firepower in the first place? Shiro definitely owed him one after this. “In private.”

“Oooh, you’re in trouble,” cackled Pidge.

“He’s not—” Groaning in frustration, Keith snatched Lance by the arm and dragged him, spluttering, from the room. “Let’s go.”

“Keith, let go of me!” Lance tried, unsuccessfully, to yank his arm from Keith’s grip, but Keith refused to let go. It was time to get all this nonsense sorted out once and for all. “What’s the matter with you? If you leave bruises on me, I swear—”

Satisfied that they were far enough away from prying eyes, Keith let go and turned to face Lance, who was so puffed up with indignation his hair was standing on end. But standing there, Keith realised he had no idea how to broach the topic subtly. Well, he’d just have to nip it in the bud, then.

“Lance, are you and Hunk dating?”

Lance’s eyes bugged out. “What? No, of course not. Hunk’s in love with Shay. I would never get in the way of that. Those two are so pure and sweet together.”

“So you’ve never dated Hunk? Or Pidge?” he added, thinking about the noises he’d heard in Lance’s bedroom.

At that, Lance looked two seconds away from throwing up. “What? Dude, no! Pidge is like my little sister. Do you even comprehend how gross that would be?”

“So, you’re currently single?”

“Yes?” Lance was glancing around the hallway as if the walls could give answers to Keith’s strange interrogation. “Why are you interrogating me like this? Are you—” His expression dropped in horror, and, jabbing a finger in Keith’s chest, he screamed, “Are you asking me out?!”

“ _NO!_ ” shrieked Keith, leaping away from Lance as if burned by the proximity. Perish the fucking thought! “No, just-just no. You are _not_ my type. Sheesh, he so owes me for this bullshit, I swear—”

“Who does?”

“Shi—um, no one.”

“’Shi’ … you weren’t, um, about to say ‘Shiro’ were you?”

And was that a spark of hope in Lance’s eyes Keith saw? “If I told you I was here because of Shiro, what would you do?”

Lance locked his fingers together, twisting them anxiously. “First of all, I want to know why Shiro wanted to know in the first place. Is he worried that interpersonal relationships would affect Voltron? Or is he—does he—” Yep, that definitely was hope. Lance bit his lip, his whole body fidgeting now as he turned his face to the floor. It was almost too adorable.

“He’s definitely not worried about how it will affect Voltron.” Seizing Lance by the shoulders, he turned him around and pushed him down the corridor. “So I guess it might be option number two. He’s in the training room trying to beat his feelings out on a training bot. Why don’t you go talk to him and save him all this angst?”

“Um, uh, okay. Are you sure?”

“Trust me, I’m sure. Also, tell him that he owes me one.”

“Uh, okay…” And like a baby deer learning to walk for the first time, Lance skittered down the hallway to the training room, the back of his neck a bright red.

 

* * *

 

Just as Shiro beat the training bot for a fourth consecutive time, the doors to the training room slid open.

“Keith,” he said, lifting his shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead, the cool air on his now-bare stomach making him shiver, “did I do what I asked you to do?” Silence. “Keith?”

Dropping his shirt, he turned around and came face-to-face with a gobsmacked, very red Lance. Realising he’d basically just given Lance a show, the heat surged into Shiro’s cheeks too. As he tried to explain himself, his tongue felt heavy and twice its usual size, and all he could make was strangled, garbled noises.

Lance looked down at his shoes as if they were very interesting at that moment. “Have I come at a bad time?”

“I, um, n-no.” Shiro swallowed convulsively, giving his head a little shake. “No,” he said in a clearer voice. “Did you, um. Did you want something?”

“Keith said I should talk to you,” said Lance.

 _What the fuck, Keith!_ “What did Keith say?”

Inhaling deeply, Lance appeared to steel himself. Then he said, “Shiro, do you have a crush on me?”

Maybe Shiro shouldn’t have been so aggressive with the training bot; he felt light-headed like he was about to pass out. This was utterly _terrifying_. He had no real experience with crushes and relationships, he’d always been too concerned about getting high marks at the Garrison and making sure he became the best pilot he knew he could be. Now he wondered whether he had missed a lot of crucial life lessons back then when he’d had his nose crammed in a book or his hands on the controls of a flight simulator.

“Shiro?” Lance prodded, nervous. “If you don’t, I’m not gonna be mad. I mean, Keith made it sound like you did, but if this was all a huge prank I’m not going to mad with you. Just at the damn mullet for getting my hopes up.” He squeaked, slapping a hand over his mouth. “Pretend I didn’t just say that!”

“’Getting your hopes up’?” said Shiro, and all at once he felt a surge of hope, like there was a miniature sun in the training room, lending him the warmth and light of its rays. “You mean…you are interested in me? In dating me?”

“Of course I would! Have you seen yourself lately? You’re like Adonis, but you have the most gorgeous personality to match. Anyone and everyone should be lucky they get to walk on the same ground as you, let alone have the opportunity to be with you!”

Yep, there definitely was a miniature sun in the room. It was the only explanation as to why Shiro was overheating, enough to make him feel like he was about to melt into a puddle on the spot. “I’m not…I’m not that great…”

“Yes! Yes, you are!” Lance stomped up to Shiro and grabbed him by the shoulders, giving him a little shake. “Do you understand how honestly amazing you are? After all you’ve suffered, no one would blame you if you said ‘fuck off’ to the universe and refused to help it. Instead, here you are, busting your goddamn ass trying to rescue planets and fighting off the Galra.

“Not only that, but you take care of all of us! Even when you struggle to sleep and eat sometimes, you make sure all of us are okay. And no matter how many battles we have to face against the Galra, you do it so fearlessly that sometimes it’s easy to forget that you were ever a victim of their tyranny. You care, Shiro. Despite everything, you care, and you have no idea how amazing it is.”

“But…my scars, the nightmares, the _arm_ …”

“Who wouldn’t have nightmares after all you’ve been through? The fact that you have them and you still run ahead to face the Galra head-on is amazing. Back home, you were always my hero. Always. I wanted to be just like you, all amazing and cool. They say never meet your heroes because you’ll wind up disappointed, but I’m glad I met you because you, the entirety of you, could never disappoint me. The arm and the scars don’t detract from you, Shiro. They don’t make you lesser, or undeserving of love. They don’t disgust me, nor will they ever.

“So, if you want to date me, if you were trying to ask me out, the answer is yes. One-hundred percent, absolutely _yes_.”

Shiro couldn’t contain himself any longer. Tears dripping down his cheeks, he surged forward and snatched Lance up in a hug, squeezing him tight enough that it had to hurt but Lance didn’t complain. Instead, he laughed and hugged back.

“I’m guessing that’s a yes?”

“A resounding yes, Lance,” said Shiro thickly, voice muffled as he pressed his face into the crook between Lance’s neck and shoulder. “Thank you.”

Lance giggled. “No thanks needed, big guy.”

But there was, there so was; Lance had just single-handedly made Shiro the luckiest, happiest guy in the world. It would take a long time to repay that kind of feeling, but as long as Lance would have him, he would try his goddamn hardest to make him feel as lucky and happy as Shiro did at that moment.

 

* * *

 

A month had passed, and they hadn’t progressed past holding hands because the Galra decided to be particularly active in that time. All they had time for was whispered conversations in the dark of Shiro’s bedroom, as Lance had taken to sleeping in there to see if it helped with Shiro’s nightmares (it did, and he’d never felt so well-rested), about what they wanted from their relationship.

Shiro knew from his early teens that he was asexual, though he hadn’t known there was a word for it until he was around nineteen years old. The thought of having sex made his insides twist in anxiety. Wearing nothing but boxer shorts around people had never concerned him, but being completely naked and exposed made him want to throw up.

“That’s okay,” Lance had said when Shiro divulged the information. “If you’re not comfortable with it, then I don’t want it. I’ve got my right hand for that.”

Lance wanted a lot of cuddles and physical affection from their relationship. It was something Shiro had to work himself up for but nevertheless wanted. He hadn’t had a lot of physical affection before his captivity, save from the head pats and infrequent hugs from his grandfather before he passed away. Haggar and the Galra had definitely taken physical contact and perverted it for their own amusement. But the way Lance held him as if he were precious, something to be protected and cherished…he was starting to crave that. He wanted it desperately, in every moment he was not curled up in Lance’s arms, protected and treasured and beloved, safe from the universe and its whims for just a little while longer.

On top of that, Lance also wanted a proper date.

“I know it’s difficult to get time away from being saviours of the universe,” said Lance, when he broached the subject. “But it would be nice to get away from it all for a few hours and just be two regular guys going on a date together. I used to take dates to the beach all the time. I miss doing that. Taking you to the beach so you could sit under the sun in a chair with your feet up, relaxing for a few hours…sounds like quite the dream, doesn’t it?”

It did, and it gave Shiro an idea. He would have to talk to Allura about that—once they told the team about their relationship, that was.

 

* * *

 

When he and Lance had told everyone about their relationship, they had all been so stoked for them.

“Babe, I’m so happy for you!” Hunk had cried, snatching Lance up in a hug.

“Hunky-bear!”

And Shiro felt not even a smidgen of jealousy at the nicknames; when Hunk released Lance, Lance’s hand went right into Shiro’s own.

“At least Lance will stop pining now,” said Pidge, adjusting her glasses. She smirked devilishly at them. “You know, all Lance would ever talk about was how gorgeous and amazing you looked, Shiro. It was always Shiro this and Shiro that. He was so in love it was gross.”

“Pidge!” Lance wailed.

“I bet Shiro was just as bad,” said Keith. “He had me go make sure Lance wasn’t in a relationship so that he wouldn’t embarrass himself by asking him out and possibly getting rejected. By the way, you owe me a few rounds in the training room so I can kick your ass for that. Lance thought I was asking him out. Gross.”

“Well, I am happy for the both of you,” said Allura. She had her hands clasped in front of her, a soft smile on her face. “The two of you look lovely together.”

“It is nice to see you paladins getting along so well,” agreed Coran, his moustache wriggling. “Finding love even in the middle of war…it’s the stuff the songs were written about!”

“I guess this means we have your approval, then,” said Shiro, relieved. There had been a small, lingering concern that the team would disapprove, would accuse them of putting their relationship ahead of everything else.

“Of course, my boy!” said Coran, as if the thought of disapproving was simply preposterous. “Everyone deserves to be in love, no matter their situation. We would never deny you the chance at happiness for any reason.”

“Coran’s right,” said Allura. “As long as this doesn’t affect Voltron in any way, you have all our blessings.”

“Just don’t ever break Lance’s heart,” Hunk warned. “I like you, Shiro, but if you break my best friend’s heart I will have to break you. It’s in the unwritten code of best friendship.”

“Oh really?” asked Keith, then turned to Lance. “I will run my sword through your chest if you hurt Shiro in any way, understand?”

“…Keith you’re supposed to threaten him with a broken arm, not death. Sheesh.”

 

* * *

 

The Galra finally ceased their attacks. Thwarted at every turn, they ran back into hiding with their tails between their legs to regroup and plan, giving Voltron a much-needed break—and giving Shiro some time to put his plan into action.

Allura had given them all a day to relax and unwind, letting the castle drift in the orbit of an uninhabited planet it had taken Shiro a while to find.

“Hunk,” said Shiro, bursting into the kitchen as if there were Galra nipping at his heels. “Hunk, I need your help.”

Freezing in the middle of preparing lunch, Hunk asked fearfully, “What? What’s going on, Shiro? What’s wrong?”

“Okay, so, I need you to prepare food for me and Lance. Picnic food. There are beaches galore down on that planet and I want to take him down there on a date.”

“Awww! That is so cute! Of course. What kind of food did you have in mind?”

“I dunno, picnic food! Whatever you can quickly rustle up.” Shiro dragged a hand through his hair, feeling frazzled. He’d just finished loading up a podship with everything else they had needed, but on his way to retrieve Lance, he realised he’d completely forgotten about food. “Hunk, I will seriously owe you one if you can get something ready in the next half and hour and take it to the podship whilst I get Lance. I can’t believe I forgot food, of all things…”

Grinning, Hunk clapped Shiro on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, man. I’ve got you covered. Just go get Lance, take the scenic route to the podship, and I’ll have everything ready for you.”

“Thank you, Hunk, you’re a lifesaver.”

“Yeah, and now you’ll owe _me_ one.”

Hesitating, Shiro said, “If you want me to cook dinner, you’re out of your mind.”

“I wouldn’t let you in my kitchen unsupervised to cook food unless I wanted everyone to go down with food poisoning. Don’t worry, man, just go get Lance.”

Shiro pivoted and ran from the kitchen, shouting over his shoulder, “Thanks, Hunk!”

 

* * *

 

To say that Lance wasn’t both concerned and excited would be an understatement. As soon as Shiro fetched him from his room, he refused to tell him where they were going, only that “It’s a surprise that you’ll love, Lance, so just trust me.”

He figured Shiro was trying to do something for a first date, could see it in his eyes and the nervously excited way he shuffled his body around, anxious to get Lance to leave. It was nice to know that Lance wasn’t the only one antsy to do something that regular couples did.

“Can’t you give me a little hint?” Lance wheedled. “What part of the castle are we going to?”

“The loading bays.”

Of all the romantic places Lance could think of, the loading bays didn’t even make the list. His heart dropped a little. “What? Why? Why are we going _there_?”

Shiro chuckled, giving him a little push. “Lance, be _patient_.”

Pouting, Lance said, “I’m trying. You’re the one being secretive, keeping secrets from me like a-a secret-keeper. What’s so important about the loading bays?”

“It’s not the loading bay itself. It’s what’s inside it.”

“What? You mean ships? What—” Lance broke off with a gasp, finally catching on. “Oh my god, Shiro, are we going to the planet we’ve been orbiting around?”

“ _Yes_ , Lance. I was going to keep as a surprise, but damn.”

“Oh my god, oh my god!” Lance was practically skipping through the castle now, yanking on Shiro’s arm as he flapped his own like a bird trying desperately to fly. “Shiro! Shiro, Shiro, Shiro!”

Shiro couldn’t remember the last time he laughed this much, almost coaxed into joining Lance in his skipping fest. “Lance, Lance, Lance.”

“We’re going on a date! A real date!”

How did Lance make Shiro so happy so effortlessly? “Yup. I’ve got everything packed and ready to go. All that’s left to do is go.”

Hunk was waiting for them by the podship, grinning wide enough that it had to be hurting their cheeks. He took one look at Lance and said, “You couldn’t resist telling him, could you?”

“Hunk, my man, you were in on this?” Lance cried. He slapped a hand to his chest. “Betrayal!”

“Hey, hey, I was only dragged into this five minutes ago,” said Hunk, holding his hands up. “Shiro forgot to pack food. Speaking of which, the basket is just behind the driver’s seat. I put everything in there that I could think of, so you better enjoy it.”

“We will,” Shiro promised. “Thank you, Hunk.”

“You’re welcome—”

“Yes, thank you, Hunk—Shiro, let’s go already! Come _on_!” Lance started dragging him toward the ramp, unable to handle it anymore. A date! They were going on a real _date_!

Hunk laughed, stepping out of their way. “Enjoy your date, guys. Send us a message when you’re coming back, but take all the time you want.”

Shiro waved goodbye over his shoulder. “See you, Hunk.” Sitting in the pilot’s chair, he started going about starting the podship up, closing the ramp the moment he got the engine running. He looked up at Lance, who was positioned just behind the chair, so excited he was vibrating close to the frequency needed to break glass. “You ready?”

“Born ready. Let’s go!”

 

* * *

 

Shiro landed expertly on the sand, went through the procedures to safely turn of the podship, then turned around in his chair to stare up at Lance. Gaping out at the swell of the ocean, the way it stretched out farther than the eye could see, Lance looked as if Shiro had taken all his dreams and gifted them to him. _That_ was the expression he had hoped to find on Lance’s face.

“Shiro,” he whispered. “It's the ocean.”

“Yup,” said Shiro. He took Lance's hand, running his thumb over the knuckles. “You like it?”

He had chosen this particular beach because it was more secluded than the other ten, the formation of the rocks surrounding the semi-circle beach forming a bridge of sorts running over the top, casting a quarter of the sandy bank in a shadow. It would not, however, block out the sunset in a few hours’ time.

“I love it.”

“Well come on then.” Shiro stood up, pulling off his shirt. A month ago he would never have dared to do so such a thing around Lance, but so many nights of sleeping next to Lance and being encouraged by his lack of disgust, had effectively wiped away any shyness he might have had left. “I didn't bring you here so we could stay in the ship and ogle the ocean. Let's swim!”

Lance turned his hopeful gaze to Shiro. "It's safe for us to swim in?"

“Triple-checked. It's safe. Let's go!”

Lance didn't need to be told again; stripping out of his clothes quickly, leaving only his boxer shorts on, he sprinted out of the podship and onto the stand. He paused long enough to laugh, elated, at the feeling of sand between his toes. There were tears in his eyes as he turned to Shiro, a sob working its way past the huge grin on his face.

“Thank you,” he said, a whisper carried through the light breeze.

Shiro didn’t say a word; he retook Lance’s hand and led him to the water. He gasped as the water surged around his ankles, freezing cold, and stumbled back a bit in shock. It had been a long time sinc he’d been to a beach, he’d almost forgot how cold the water could get. Then, without warning, Lance let out a loud whoop and dove into the water without a care.

“Hurry up and get in, Shiro!” he shouted when he resurfaced, turning to float on his back. “The water’s great!”

“Uh…I’m not sure.” Shiro didn’t really like the cold. He’d been hoping the water here was as warm as the temperature. “It’s a bit cold.”

“If you just leapt in, you’d get used to it pretty quick. Come on, Shiro!”

Sighing, Shiro guessed there was nothing else for it. He hadn’t brought Lance just so he could swim alone whilst Shiro sat on the sand and watched. After all the showers he’d had with it on, he was certain the cyborg arm wouldn’t quit on him when fully submerged, so he plucked up the courage and dove into the water.

Yup, it was fucking cold. It hit Shiro like a bag of bricks, but he kept swimming. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes and realised he could see perfectly. The water was so clear. He looked up. Lance was still floating on his back a few feet away, lazily kicking his feet. Suppressing a grin, Shiro swam up underneath him and then surged upward, throwing Lance into the air.

“Shiro!” Lance squawked as he resurfaced, coughing and spluttering, repeatedly smacking the water with his flailing arms as he regained his equilibrium. “What did you do _that_ for?”

Shiro smirked at him. “Because I could.”

Jaw dropping, Lance stared at Shiro speechlessly. Then, half a second later, that expression turned into a devilish grin, a gleam in his eyes that did not bode well for Shiro.

“Oh? Is that how it’s going to be?”

“Yep.” Shiro folded his arms over his chest, able to just touch the ocean floor with the tips of his toes. “Whatcha gonna do about it?”

“This!” Lance dove under the water and seized Shiro around the legs, lifting him up as if Shiro weighed absolutely nothing. Yelping, unable to get a good purchase on Lance’s slippery wet skin, Shiro should not have found it as hot as it was to be at Lance’s mercy like this. Lance changed his grip and hefted him over his shoulders. “Know what I’m going to do now?”

“Put me down, Lance!” Shiro laughed, kicking his legs in a fruitless attempt at freedom. Had Lance always been this strong? “ _Lance_!”

“Well, if you insist.”

Before Shiro could comprehend what was about to happen, Lance barrel-rolled in the water, planting Shiro firmly on the bottom of the ocean floor before rolling once more and swimming up to the surface. The whole world swam around Shiro from the suddenness of it, and for a moment he forgot which way was up until he started floating up to the surface.

“Oh, it’s on,” he said, watching Lance laugh so loud that he was near bent double from the force of it. “You asked for it!”

Shiro couldn’t tell how long they spent playing in the water, shrieking and laughing as they threw each other around, play-wrestling as the sun began its descent into the horizon, but he loved every moment of it. As they wound down, they laced their fingers together, still giggling, and fell into each other in a loose hug.

Then Lance’s stomach rumbled. He blushed to the roots of his hair as Shiro lost himself in his giggles again.

“What? That was a workout and a half!” Lance protested half-heartedly. He prodded Shiro in the stomach, grinning as Shiro squeaked and twitched away from him. “Wanna go back and see what Hunk packed?”

Admittedly, Shiro was getting hungry too, so he acquiesced. Hand-in-hand, they trudged out of the water and back up to the podship.

“We’re going to get sand everywhere,” Lance laughed, as they brought seemingly half the beach in with them, sand covering their legs right up to their knees. “Allura’ll have us clean all this out, but we’ll be finding sand for _months_.”

Shiro picked up the deck-chair he’d asked Coran for—and which took a bit of explaining, since Alteans apparently didn’t call them deck-chairs but something so incomprehensible he couldn’t start getting his head around it.

“Worth it, though,” he said. “Set that up wherever you want. I’ll bring the food.”

Lance turned a confused glance from the chair to Shiro. “You only got one of these?”

“Unfold it and you’ll realise why we only need one.”

A moment of hesitation passed, and Lance shrugged his shoulders, taking the chair out. A few seconds later Shiro grinned as he heard him exclaim, “Holy fuck, this thing is massive!”

“I told you,” Shiro called out, hefting the box of food up. It was heavier than he was expecting it to be. Had Hunk given them enough food to feed an army again?

He walked out of the podship, occasionally using his knee to push the box further up in his grip before he dropped it on his feet. Lance had set the deck chair up a good twenty feet away, near the water. The tide was coming in, nearing the deck chair, but with their combined weight on the chair, Shiro wasn’t concerned that it’d move. Lance was already lying on the chair, ankles crossed and arms above his head, fingers playing with the edge of the chair’s fabric.

Dumping the box on the ground, Shiro was quick to get on and cuddle up against Lance, who immediately brought his arms down to hold Shiro. Head on Lance’s chest, Shiro could faintly hear his heartbeat. Any tension he might have had immediately drained from his body as if a plug had been pulled. He closed his eyes as Lance ran his fingers through his hair, the other hand wriggling underneath Shiro to rub his back. The food was momentarily forgotten.

“I love you,” said Lance.

Shiro hummed, only half-hearing him—and then jerked his head up, gaping at Lance. “Wh-what?”

Lance smiled, leaning forward to press a kiss to his forehead. “I love you.”

Opening his mouth to return the sentiment, the words got caught in his throat. Shiro had _never_ heard those words leave the mouth of someone who wasn’t a blood relation. To hear it from Lance, who said it so casually as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, struck him dumb.

“It’s okay if you don’t quite feel the same yet,” said Lance. He swept Shiro’s bangs aside, resting their foreheads together. His eyes slipped closed. “But…you’re perfect, Shiro. In general and for me. Being here with you right now, I feel so fucking lucky. You’re everything I could have hoped for and more. So thank you—thank you for, you know, choosing me.”

“I love you, too,” Shiro said in a rush. “Lance, I love you, too.”

There should have been an infinite amount of words in his vocabulary he could have used to explain how much he loved Lance, how lucky he felt to be here with him, but he could barely think of a sentence he could string together that wasn’t ‘I love you.’ He tried to press all of his emotions into those three words, hoping that heard and understood them.

It must have; before Shiro knew it, Lance’s lips were on his, claiming Shiro’s first kiss for his own. But therein was the problem; Shiro didn’t know how to move his lips or what to do. Another area he had failed to get experience in when he was attending the Garrison.

Noticing the kiss was going unreciprocated, Lance pulled back, a wrinkle forming between his brows. “Shiro? What’s wrong?”

There was no other choice but to confess. “I’ve never kissed anyone before. I don’t know what to do.” The words left him in an embarrassed rush. He ducked his head into Lance’s shoulder as if he could hide from the truth there. “I know that sounds really lame. I mean, I’m twenty-five—”

“Let me teach you, then,” said Lance quickly, pressing two fingers under Shiro’s chin to coax him into lifting his head. There was nothing but warmth, happiness, in Lance’s gaze. “Shiro, you’re laying the honours on me, man. I feel so blessed. Listen, just do what I do. I’ll correct you, promise. This time, _you_ kiss _me_.”

Was he being serious? Shiro didn’t know how to instigate a kiss. What if he was absolutely terrible? What if he accidentally ate Lance’s face off?

“Trust me,” Lance said. “Just put your lips against mine. It’s fine.”

 _Trust me._ Shiro did, more than he trusted most of the people in his life. Steeling himself, he let his eyes close and leaned in, until he felt Lance’s soft lips against his own. From there, he let Lance wordlessly guide him. Learned how to move from how Lance moved, understanding finally those people who had told him ‘when you kiss the person you love, you’ll want to stay like that forever’ when before he had thought they were idiots. _He_ had been the idiot. This was _incredible_.

“How was that?” he whispered against Lance’s lips as they drew back.

Lance twitched his head up, running his nose along the side of Shiro’s. One of his hands cupped Shiro’s jaw, tracing over his light stubble. “Perfect.”

They moved at the same time, lips meeting again. Again, and again. There was nothing outside of them, nothing half as important as this. As they learned each other, the sky transformed from an orange-pinkish hue to a sea of stars.

Shiro could stay there forever.

 

* * *

 

Keith hated waking up in the middle of the night with a parched throat. He rarely ever got to sleep the whole night through without needing a glass of water, and he’d forgotten to bring one in with him when he went to bed. So, grouchily, he was yanking open the dishwasher to find a cup.

“I need to use the bathroom,” said Lance’s voice outside the door. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Meet me in my room,” said Shiro, and yuck. Keith didn’t need to know what they got up to in their private time. But from the sound of things, the two of them had only just gotten back from their date. It had been six hours at least.

Then Shiro opened the kitchen door and stepped through. The expression on his face gave Keith pause. Never, in all the time he had known Shiro, had he ever seen Shiro look so happy. There was a dopey little smile on his face, his entire posture relaxed. He hadn’t noticed Keith standing in the corner of the kitchen, as he was staring up at the ceiling looking like a lovestruck fool. He let out a tiny, happy sigh.

“Your date went that well?” Keith asked, unable to help himself.

Shiro yelped, jumping a mile in the air. “Keith! Where did you come from?”

“My bedroom.” Keith held up his cup. “I was getting some water. Did you really only just get back? How was the date?”

“Yes, I just got back. And the date? Keith, the date was amazing. I mean really, _really_ amazing. Keith, I really do think he’s the one.”

“Ugh, you’re such a sap.” Keith rolled his eyes for show, but really he was happy for Shiro. After all he’d been through, he deserved this. If Lance was the person to put that expression on his face, that bounce on his step, then he wouldn’t question Shiro’s choices anymore because apparent that, taste aside, Shiro had made the right one. “But I’m happy for you.”

Keith grabbed another cup and filled it with water, sliding it across the table to Shiro, who snatched it up and drank all of it in two huge gulps.

“Thank you. I just—I didn’t know that this was possible, you know?” he said. “Feeling this way, I mean.”

The fact that Keith ever thought this would negatively affect Voltron even in the slightest was laughable. This probably just strengthened the bond.

“Just as long as he doesn’t break your heart,” said Keith. “Or hurt you in any way.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Good. Lance might be annoying, but I don’t want to have to hurt him. What are you two doing now?”

“Going to bed.”

Keith grimaced.

“Not to do that, you little shit.” Shiro pulled a face at him. “You know I’m asexual.”

“Have you told him that?” Keith asked, serious. He had done his research; he knew that Shiro’s orientation could be a deal-breaker for some. “Did he accept it?”

“Unquestionably.”

Wow, Keith’s opinion of Lance could actually improve. What an unexpected surprise.  “Good. Well, I won’t keep you. I’m still tired, and you look ready to crash. I’ll see you in the morning, you lovestruck dork.”

“Goodnight, Keith.”

“Night, Shiro.”

As he slipped into bed, Keith hoped that the war would not ruin those two or what they had together. He wanted to keep seeing Shiro that happy for the rest of his life.

 

* * *

 

“Sorry,” said Lance, bursting into Shiro’s bedroom to find him already lying in bed underneath the covers. He had already changed into his pyjamas, likely having stopped by his bedroom on the way back. “I wanted to do a quick face scrub before I came back, since the mask might get everywhere considering you’re a freaking _octopus_ when you sleep.”

“Am not,” said Shiro, shuffling over to make room for Lance, then immediately cuddling up to him once he’d gotten settled.

“Are too.” Lance tilted Shiro’s head up and kissed him, and they melted together, moving as if they’d been doing this for years and not hours. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

In that moment, Shiro knew peace and safety, coaxed into a deep sleep within the warmth of Lance’s arms.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment if you enjoyed! Comments feed authors and give us more motivation to write. :D Want more Shance fluff? Comment!


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